Family Connections
by Anything1516
Summary: Blake's mother just died in her home of Johto. Now Blake has to live with her father in the Kanto. Can she and her Umbreon succede in the Kanto League? O/C fic
1. Chapter 1

The fond memories of my childhood with my mother flashed through my mind as I sat on the plane to Kanto. The memories of getting comforted after falling down the stairs, her acceptance of the Eevee kit I had brought home when I was nine, the celebratory breakfast when I had got my trainer's license.

My only companion was Shade, the Umbreon I've had for the last 7 years. He sat on the seat next to mine. He was my first pokemon from when I started my journey in Johto. Most of my pokemon were at my brother's breeding facility and farm.

Some of my pokemon included my two Ampharoses , Jewel and Phalanx. Phalanx was a shiny Ampharos. In the last letter I received I found out that I now have a small herd of Mareep and Flaafy. He also told me about my Houndour, Rex, and how he was close to evolving. Lastly there was Nox, my Noctowl and how he was picking fights with Twitch, my Aridos. I sent all my pokemon to Dustin about three weeks ago.

I was going to change regions since I couldn't own a house yet. I was going to live with my dad in Pewter City. My dad helps one of the shops as an accountant at one of the shops at that town. The airport wasn't that far from the city, about a 5 minute walk. The plane was about 30 minutes away from the airport.

Shade was watching the sky on the outside of the window. I couldn't put him in his pokeball. I never could. We would always have to fight to get him in, so I just stopped trying. I scratched him under the black bandana with silver designs I put around his neck as a mark of ownership. I had to mark that he was owned in some way because I usually let him wander around at night. When I was at my mother's I would watch him wander at night by sitting on the house's rooftop. You could tell where he was since his yellow rings would shimmer at night. I always kept his pokeball on me in case my ownership was questioned.

With most of my pokemon's pokeballs I made them into jewelry. With Shade's it's a necklace that won't come off. No I'm actually really serious; the only way to get it off is to use kitchen shears. With my Johto's it was an anklet with the pokeballs as charms. And people say I'm not creative enough. I made sure that the anklet had a clasp. One might call me a slow learner.

The plane soon landed at the airport. I ended up carrying Shade since he fell asleep. I carried him over to a table and put him down. Then I went to collect my two duffel bags. The biggest and heaviest was the ones that had all my clothes in it. The second one that was half the size of the first was had all of my photography stuff and some of Shade's favorite food which was Jell-O. He loves Jell-o way too much. One might call it and addiction. I really don't know why he does. I only gave it to him once. I grabbed both the duffels and slung them over opposite shoulders. I went back over to the sleeping Umbreon and picked him up. I then went to the entrance.

I don't really remember my father. The best memory I had was when I was six. That was about 8 years ago. I couldn't remember all that much. I knew he had a Houndoom. But that's not where it started. It started at a game of Monopoly. I was winning. Then it shifted into us walking down at a beach near our home. It was when he was telling me that he had to go to the Kanto for his job and wouldn't come back for a while. And by a while he meant never.

I make it into the entrance way. I found a man holding a sign saying 'Blake Addams'. I shook my head. I always travel under my mother's maiden name of Heathermoor. My mother went back to her maiden name after he left. I chose to take it as my last name instead of hyphenating it. It was easier to remember who I was because of that. I walked over to the guy with the sign. Actually I was behind him.

"Hi I'm Blake _Heathermoor_. And this is Shade, my Umbreon. He's pleased to meet you." I said. Really, Shade was growling at the guy and crouching which was funny to watch. Shade was extremely protective of me but wouldn't attack anyone unless they injured me or I told him to. "I wouldn't want to pet him unless you want to get bit." I told the guy. Shade stopped growling and looked at me and replied with a quick but creepy laugh of "Umbree" I had to stifle my laugh, the man had a scared look " Okay I'm really sorry. He's overprotective but most of that was a show. I wasn't joking about him biting you though. He might still try to."

"Okay. Hi I'm your father." He replied watching Shade play with my shoelace. "You've really grown since the last time I saw you. I watched you beat the Elite Four in the Johto League."

"Um thank you." This man was not one of many words for sure. "And now that you're here I really want to spend time with you. Maybe you can go to school." He continued. I frowned deeply. I wasn't a good student at all. Comes from the slow learner thing.

"I'll spend time with you but I won't go to school. I want to continue journeying for a while here. Maybe catch some new pokemon. But I will not go to school!" yes that made me seem like a brat but I couldn't handle it. It's too much stress. "Oh I should tell you one thing. Shade never goes in his pokeball so he'll be out all the time."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Long time no update, huh. As always, I in no way own Pokemon or its trademark. Special Thanks to my friend Ally who typed and editted my ideas for you guys. Read, review or PM me if you have anything you want to tell me.**

**Chapter 2**

"Um, that's fine, but he's not sleeping on the furniture, and that includes the bed. And please rethink the school thing. You shouldn't need to always have to fight for a living," he said, watching Shade walking in front of us.

Shade turned and jogged towards me. I faltered for a second, realizing that he was going to jump up on me. He hit me harder than I thought and made me fall backwards. "Shade, how did you get so heavy? Oh, now I remember. You really have to battle soon, I want you to get in better condition before we leave again," I softly muttered to my Umbreon.

He gave me a face that was a cross between 'you are a freaking moron', 'how can you survive', and 'leaping on you kind of hurt'. I pulled him into my arms as I stood up.

"Does he do that often? The whole jump and knock you over thing?" My father asked, suddenly worried.

"Only to me, Dustin, and my cousin Angela. Why? Do you have any little kids? Kids generally don't like Shade and vice versa. On another note, do you have a video phone? I have to call Dustin and Angela soon," I said, remembering plans I had made a while ago, meanwhile forgetting that I had a laptop.

"I'll tell you more when you finish unpacking. Your room is upstairs, third door on the left." With that, he left me at the front path and continued down the road. My dad always confused me. Heck, he probably always will.

"Well Shade, let's go unpack. I'll let you sleep on the bed. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, in this case," I told the Umbreon by my side. I opened the door to be greeted by this adorable little red haired boy. He appeared to be around eight or nine and he was holding a Houndoom by the collar.

The boy had a similar color of hair really close to that of my brother and I shared. His was a more strawberry blonde color while Dustin and I had a rusty metal shade of hair. The feature that stuck out most was the stormy gray eyes that were my dad's influence.

"Hi, um . . . Hello . . ." I muttered quietly. Shade started barking with laughter at my confusion.

"Hi, I'm Bryce." With that, I felt arms wrapping tightly around me. "You must be Blake. I've wanted to meet you ever since I heard you were coming. I saw the video of you battling Johto's Elite Four. My I pet your Umbreon?" Even though I just met the kid, I liked him.

"Ask Shade. My opinion doesn't matter to him," I said throwing a joking smile to Bryce and Shade. "I don't care if you paint his nails; just don't do anything that will maim him. Do you have a video phone I could use? I have to call my brother and my cousin." Shade's ears perked up when I said cousin. I think he wanted to see her Espeon.

"Yeah, but wouldn't it make sense to put your bags in your room? Unless you like carrying your bags around everywhere," said Bryce.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about them. I had other things on my mind." I looked down at my ankle, missing the weight and feeling of my Johto team. I miss the warmth of Rex's pokeball, the slight static shocks from both of my Ampharoses, a feathery soft feel from Nox, and the silky feel of Twitch's pokeball. Now the anklet was bare, waiting to be used again.

Bryce must have been doing something that I should've paid attention to, because when I looked up he was looking at my anklet too. It had pokeballs on it, but they were empty. There was no way to know that by looking at it. A bright expression crossed his face.

"Blake, can I see your pokemon team? I've always wanted to see a shiny pokemon up close. Please Blake? Please?" Bryce asked. I felt so bad that I didn't have them on me.

"Well, I don't have them with me," as I said this, Bryce's face fell, "but when I call my brother I'll see if he'll let my team see me. Dustin co-owns a breeding facility and farm back in Johto. If you ever want a Mareep, just ask. I will take you there and you can have one of the eggs." I at least tried to make Bryce feel better.

Shade then came over after searching the house with the Houndoom following him. Shade went over to Bryce and rubbed his head against Bryce's legs, trying to cheer him up. Then the Umbreon sat down and looked up at Bryce.

I left Shade in the hallway with Bryce so I could set the bags down. I put the bag containing valuables on the bed and the bag of clothes near the closet. I explored the room, finding a door to a private bathroom. There was a large wooden desk tucked away in a corner. I went to my duffle of valuables and pulled out my laptop, setting it on my desk. I went back to the bag on the bed and fought myself if I was going to pull out the photo album. I let my fingers graze it a few times before zipping it back up.

I heard laughing in the hallway and felt compelled to investigate. I poked my head through the doorframe to see Shade, in Bryce's arms, licking the daylights out of the boy. I found myself laughing along with them. I heard my computer telling me that someone was requesting a video conference. I went over to check and saw it was Dustin. I sent him a quick message asking if he could assemble my Johto team for the chat. After getting a 'yes, but wait a moment', I accepted the video web-chat.

"Hey Bryce, can you come in here? But close your eyes. Shade, you make sure he does." I heard a response of 'coming' and 'Bree eon'. I smiled, knowing how faithful my Umbreon was. I waited until they were in the room. Dustin was nearly done wrangling my pokemon. "Just one more minute Bryce, then you can see a surprise I just got." Nox had finally joined us and decided to perch on Twitch. I knew that wouldn't end well.

"Blakey, Blakey, Blakey, how've you been? Oh and who's next to you? And why is he covering his face? Hey Shade." I groaned loudly at my older brother as Shade pushed his face to the computer screen.

"Bryce you can look now," I whispered to the boy next to me. "Shade, get down. Dustin, I'm just really worn down. And Bryce here, not my boyfriend. He lives here I think. I think I'll guess he's a half brother. Nox stop picking fights with Twitch! Hey, can I visit my team for a bit?" I asked. I felt bad for yelling at those two pokemon, but they know better.

"Whatever. Just hurry because the Mareep flock is going crazy without its leaders. What should I do with all the Mareep anyways? You have like, thirty, not including Flaafy. What's your plan for them?" asked Dustin.

I made a gesture with the meaning of 'save it for later'. He turned to leave. Phalanx came straight up to the computer and started to question me. Shade jumped up as a greeting. "All right, Phalanx, I really miss you too. I'll visit when I have the time, bud. I'm also sorry to say Shade won't be joining you guys. Um, guys and Jewel, this is Bryce. He's family now." Dustin, in the background, was pointing to his watch. "I'm sorry guys. Dustin says it's time to go. Rex, you evolve when you're ready. Don't let them bully you into it. Bye my lovelies."

"Well Bryce, what do you think of my Johto team and brother? I have another video conference I need to start. This one's private. Please don't eavesdrop. Trust me, you wouldn't like this person. Most of the time I don't even like her, but she's my family and waiting for me to call.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Sorry Its been so long. Things Have been going on, taking away from time to write. Please tell me what you think of this chapter. I take full responsibility of any errors, as I tried to catch them all. Thanks to MyBuizellsCalledBurt and Oshy for the kind reviews. Thanks for reading! -Anything1516**

Looking back at the screen in front of me, my attention flicked between the cursed screen, Shade, the door, and back to the screen. It didn't hold the answers I needed. Rubbing my face attentively, I craned it up to the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, I went back to the screen, logging back onto my homepage.

My contact page popped up, reminding me what was next on my agenda. Taking a final look at my door, I chose my contact. The label of 'Call only if the world is ending!' perhaps wasn't the greatest, but it made its point. Labeling my cousin that might have been a choice to a slow painful death, if she were to find out.. I try to respect the fact that the world of the living must have a plan for me. I didn't hate my cousin, it was just a simple reminder that she is my partner in crime.

After a few seconds of waiting for a response, the image of her espeon and natu startled me. Her natu was staring at me, as if trying to either look into my soul or, you know, stare me down. It's a creepy little monster, and that's me being nice. A few seconds later, after her espeon, Pudding, yowled, trying to summon my cousin. My staring contest with the natu continued for what seemed like minutes, but actually only seconds.

"Hey Blakey. How's it going?" Was the greeting I got. At least it stopped the staring contest with the small bird.

Looking up, I saw she was carrying a psyduck. The egg she had a few weeks ago must have finally hatched. Great news for her. Looking a bit deeper, I realized she had red tips on her hair. 'That's new,' I quickly thought, reminding myself to comment on it later. "Hey Angela. See you got a new dye job there and I assume correctly when I guess that the egg you had hatched into a psyduck, right?"

"Yep. Isn't he cute? I call him Einstein. Hopefully he'll be smart one day. It's funny though; he currently hates water and all the information I got from the professor says they should love being in water, even refusing to leave the water. I want to get him used to getting wet so he can learn to swim." I didn't really pay attention, zoning out of the conversation.

It seemed every time I was away for more than a week my cousin changed her hair by dying it. She could save quite a bit of money if she stopped. Eh, to each their own, right? This time she dyed the tips red, giving her black hair an even weirder appearance. She watched my face intently, like there was something wrong with it. I cocked my head looking at her green eyes before dropping my gaze to my lap.

"That's great. The egg hatching thing. When are you able to get here? I really want-"

"I can be there in a few hours. I know you must have really missed me to want another adventure with me." I sat there, mentally laughing as Angela was seemingly inflating her ego. I don't really mind getting cut off. It stops me from rambling out of being uncomfortable. "My plane departs in a few minutes so expect me arriving late tonight or early tomorrow. Eh, still have a bit for talking. What's got you being this skittish?" She asked, as if trying to get me to spill my life secrets to her.

"Not much, I just don't like it all that much here. Dad doesn't seem to be around, I can't go outside and instantly know where I am and adapting to this region is harder. I don't know anyone here. I just want to get out of this house. I know it's only been a few hours since I got here and I want out. If my trainer's license is still good, I have no obligation to stay here, right? I'm free to leave at any time?" I started, only to get silenced by Angela's single nod.

I wanted to ask how she knew, but she turned the screen to Utan, her natu, pecking away at a keyboard. "Eh, Blake, anyone who really knows you would know that you would fail at school horribly. It'd be funny to watch though."

I was really tempted to blurt out, 'love you too', but decided not to. "So how did you get the money to come by plane?"

"Staying at a Pokecenter for a few weeks has advantages. One of which is getting people who take a single glance at your team and demand a battle. Easiest way to get money quick, let me tell you. You would not believe how many people thought that Pudding would be a weakling. Funny how quick some things change. Pudding has something to say to Shade."

The espeon jumped up to the screen and waited until Shade was looking at her. "Esp espeon, eon esp esp peon. Eon esp espeon." Shade looked up at me, a startle and scared expression was on his face. His ears flickered back, hearing the front door open, even though I didn't hear it as he did.

He looked up to the screen and seemed to respond to the espeon sitting there, as if smirking at us. In the background, you could hear Angela laughing. I'd have to ask her soon what Pudding told Shade.

Well I got to go now. The plane is starting to load. See you in a while." With that the computer screen went fuzzy as she left.

I sat in my room, reding my book I hadn't seen in a few months. I was glad to get a few hours of reading with Shade snoozing next to me. I heard my name being called from somewhere and Shade's ears flicked back when he heard the call. "Guess we should go down, shouldn't we?" I asked him, picking him up and slinging him across my shoulders, feeling him lick my neck and head. His ears seemed to droop a bit when he heard my name being called again, but I might have been mistaken. I left the room, leaving him there, knowing it might cheer him up a little.

I travelled the hallway, looking for a staircase. Yeah, I know it sounds pretty bad that I couldn't find a staircase, but let me say, when you're directionally challenged, getting lost is really easy. Mom used to joke with me that I would lose my head and never be able to find it if it wasn't attached to my head. I still believe that. I felt Shade shaking a little and realized that he was laughing at me. Getting lost in a two story house… my new low.

I heard laughing coming from a few doors down and noticed that I was being watched. My face grew red and I felt the heat raising from below my skin. "Blake, child, Iknew you had directional problems, but wow… didn't know they were that bad. Why did your mom let you go off alone for a while?"

"Well dad, mom trusted that I could live long enough to be found. Besides, I had Shade and eventually my cousin." I replied, feeling defensive about getting dislocated easily.

"Anyways, we're about to have dinner, and my wife doesn't like pokemon in the dining room or kitchen when food is being made, or we're eating. You can leave your umbreon in your room. I trust you can find your way to the dining room?"

"Yeah, I can. I'll be down soon. Come on Shade, let's get you fed." I turned, feeling the umbreon around my shoulders slide down along my back, landing beside me. Once in the room, I grabbed my backpack and pulled out a bag of dry pokemon food. I knew he didn't care for it, so I grabbed him a Jell-O cup and popped the top off. I rubbed Shade's coat as I told him of my plans to leave soon. I searched around for my go bag. It was needed for times like this.

I heard my door handle jingle as I felt the tarp rolled up on the bag crinkle. I dropped the bag as the door opened, revealing my probable little brother. His eyes seemed to pop wide as he saw my go bag peeking out by my feet. I went over to him, hugging him in the process, forcing him to turn as I went back to the hallway. "I promise I will tell you later, okay?"

I felt his nod, and let him lead me to the downstairs dining room. Assembled in the dining room was dad, my half-brother and a random woman. Random woman seemed to stare at me, so I stared back, letting her I didn't like her either. I took a seat at the only chair without a person in it, looking at the food in front of me. There was quite a lot of food, ranging from vegetable and fruits to the main dish of roast. Seemed edible enough.

'Fate just wasn't in my favor' I thought as I heard the doorbell ring.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I apologize a huge ton here guys! I've had a pretty rough time the past 2 and half months. In August, My grandmother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I spent pretty much every weekend from August to October in a town 2 hours away, spending time with her. Also I joined my school's play. I spent up to 14 hours a day at school, doing class then practicing. My grandmother lost her battle with cancer in mid October, affecting my family greatly. It's been pretty rough lately, so I apologize for the long delay. –Anything1516**

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><p>As the doorbell rang, chaos seemed to break out. Dad's Houndoom started barking and raced off in the direction of the door. Really all I wanted to do was open the door, have dinner, take a nap, listen to music, actually act like a teenager of 16. Thinking of it though, all I really wanted to do was get out of the house. Random woman and I continued our staring contest.<p>

"Blake, door's for you," I heard, startling me. "You can find the door, right?"

"Ouch, Dad, that one hurt. Yeah I can find a door. Is it my cousin? She told me tomorrow," I muttered to myself, walking towards the door. Standing in the doorway was my cousin. I smiled, confirming our plans to leave later tonight. She nodded and set down the pokémon in her arms before a greeting hug.

"It's good to see you Blake. How you been? Where's Shade?" She asked, green eyes gleaming with humor.

"You too. I've been okay, you know how it is. Shade's upstairs, eating. You can let your Pokémon up there to eat, and then we can have dinner with my father."

"Deal, free food is a great idea. Let me grab Einstein and I'll be down really quick."

She ran up the stairs, returning within one minute of getting up there. We went to the dining room and sent a glare at random woman as if saying I win, take that to her. My half brother started asking her all sorts of questions about travelling and raising pokémon. I let out a sigh of relief before grabbing a plate with roast and vegetables on it, eating them quickly.

As soon as dinner was done, I went back to my room, Angela in tow behind me. The sight of my room surprised us. Shade and Pudding were playing and wrestling which neither of us had seen from them before. It was funny watching the two Eeveelutions chasing each other before one would pounce on the other. They were having fun, so I didn't really care. After a while, Shade came over to me and jumped up into my lap.

"So, what's the plan Ange? I have most of my stuff ready. Just grab and go? I can do that with my Johto license, right?" I ask, stroking the Umbreon sitting on my lap. I played with his ears, watching my pokemon become more relaxed.

"That's the basic idea Blake. Tonight is on, right?" When I nodded, I heard some shuffling in the hallway. I noticed that Shade had heard it too. My cousin was sitting on the floor, giving attention to the Psyduck and her Espeon.

I reached under the bed and felt for my bag, feeling for the crinkly touch of the tarp I had tied onto it earlier. I pulled it out, trying to get it out from where I had pushed it earlier. I put in up on the bed next to me, searching for everything on my mental checklist so I won't have to pack it later. It had everything in it, so I turned my attention back to Shade.

My doorknob started turning, so I watched it, not wanting to help whoever was there in. The door opened a crack and I saw a flash of blonde hair. "The door's open, Bryce, come on in. I owe you an explanation, don't I?" I called out to the door, knowing my half brother would be on the other side.

I nodded to Angela, telling her to leave the room. She caught what I wanted her to do and grabbed her Pysduck. Her Espeon followed her, seemingly unwilling to leave her side.

My brother came in, looking really upset and refused to look at me. I grabbed my bag from under the bed and threw it by the one across the room that looked just like it. I had my brother sit next to me on the bed and Shade came over and lay next to him. I saw a hand reach to pet his silky fur and could hear Shade making happy noises.

"What do you want to know? I'm totally happy to answer your questions, Bryce, just tell me what you want to know," I said, feeling like a guilty person for wanting to leave.

"You won't lie to me, right?" He demanded. When he saw I nodded, he continued, "Why do you want to leave, isn't here a good place to be?"

"Yes, here is an okay place to be. It's not your fault, or anyone else's in this house that I want to leave. I have a love of travelling, as one day you might have as well. It's an amazing feeling to know that you are able to free to do what you want within a certain degree, but it is the same to know that the people who you are closest to also support that decision. You'll get it soon, trust me. But also It's scary, and at times dangerous."

"You're leaving tonight, aren't you? You want to go once everyone is sleeping, so you don't have to say goodbye. I heard you talking about it earlier."

"Hey, it's okay. Yes I plan on leaving tonight, but it's not like I'm dying. We can talk and stuff, I was going to give you my phone number. You'll be okay. It's not like you knew me on a personal level before yesterday. I'm fairly sure you didn't even know I existed until recently." I felt him hug me and pull his head into my shoulder. I rubbed his back, knowing that it would work out eventually.

"But _why_ are you leaving? Can't you take me with you?" I heard through his hushed whispering.

"I can't take you with me. Dad doesn't know I'm leaving, and when I'm gone, how will he feel? He'd miss you too much if you came with me."

"_Why Blake, tell me why?"_

"You know I can't answer that Bryce."

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><p><strong>AN: I wish everyone a safe and healthy Holiday season. I will hopefully have an update soon. Love ya guys.**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: So I hope everyone is having a decent holiday season so far. Mine was fun until I broke my toe. That makes removing wall paper slightly more challenging but I was successful.**

I heard Angela walk out of my bathroom. I looked up, then back towards my feet. I could have probably given my brother a better reason, but maybe it was better to be selfish than to go out of my way to explain. Perhaps I could have been less harsh, but it was easier to be blunt and painful. I ruffled Shade's fur before grabbing a t-shirt and my grey pajama pants before slipping into the shower.

I was enjoying the feel of the scalding water cascade down my back, thinking too much to care. After a few minutes of that, it got hot enough to start to burn, causing me to turn down the heat somewhat. I washed my hair, losing the attention I usually gave my hair to my thinking.

I heard scratching on the outside of the shower door and saw Shade there. I cracked the door enough so that he could get in. I flicked some water at him before getting out, changing the water to come out of the spout instead of the shower head. I let him play in the tub until I had dried off and changed into my shirt and pants. I draped a towel over him and rubbed him dry. After a while of doing that, I went and sat on my bed, brushing my hair up into a pony tail, and then brushing Shade's fur down from where it was ruffled from being toweled.

I twisted my head around, wondering why I hadn't heard some remark from Angela. I saw her bag was gone and in its place was a note.

_Dear Blake,_

_I got bored so I started staring out the window. There were some cute guys that walked past on the road. I decided that I wanted to follow them, so I'll be gone by the time you get out of the shower. I'll buy some food, so see you soon._

I reread it a few times, making sure I wasn't misreading it. But then again, that was a totally normal thing for her to do; stupid, life endangering, reckless. Those are the first three words that pop into my head every time people ask me to describe her. Leaving into a town she's only ever seen a portion of really late at night, maybe it won't be as bad as the rock climbing trip, but still incredibly stupid.

I looked over to Shade who appeared to be shaking more water from his fur. "You ready buddy? Let's go find Angela." I called out to him. I grabbed my bag and left my room, trying to be super quiet. I poked my head out and scanned the hallway before walking down the stairs and multiple hallways. The door wasn't a problem as I walked out, making sure to keep the door the same as when I came.

Shade's rings started glowing when we got out in the moonlight, letting me know he was really happy to be out. I thought about the last few weeks and realized that he hadn't been out in the moonlight for a long while. I walked over to a tree and climbed up a few branches, watching Shade run around and chase the late night Pidgeys and Murkrows. He bounded up to me after a while and sat down staring at me, as if questioning what I wanted to do.

"I know Shade, I know. I've got your back, if you'll watch mine," I retorted to his look. He barked his name back at me, letting me know I said the right thing. I shimmied down the tree and started walking down the road towards the center of time, Shade darting around me, his rings still glowing.

A few minutes after walking on the beaten path, I saw Angela sitting on a bench with two other people. I called Shade over, silently telling him to stop having his rings glow, and together we stalked over towards the bench, making sure to go out of my way to stay out of the lights. I stood about 10 feet away, completely surrounded by the dark, able to overhear everything said.

"So Angela, how long have you been in Kanto?" One of the boys asked. The one that was speaking had brownish copper hair. He was wearing jeans that looked a bit beat up and dusty, and the shirt was black, but when he turned slightly you could see what could be a Marowak Skull graphic on it. There was a Skitty sitting on his lap, trying to play with Angela's hair.

The other boy with her had light blonde hair. It seemed dyed, but from where I was, I couldn't tell the root color. He also had jeans, his in nicer condition compared to the other guy. He had a light green shirt with no graphic on it. He appeared to be rolling his eyes at the other guy, as if amused by his antics. Like his friend he also had a Pokémon on his lap, a rather small Vulpix. Instead of playing, it seemed to be curled up and sleeping.

"I've been here for about seven hours," she replied, turning in my general direction. "My cousin is somewhere around here. Blake, come on, I know your over there. I can see Shade's eyes."

I groaned to myself, I almost snuck up on my cousin and she ruined it. Shade let his rings glow again and jumped up towards my back, wanting to lay across my shoulders in his usual fashion. I started walking towards the bench, listening to Shade make his purring growl noise that I knew was his 'I am content and I want you to know it' sound.

"That's my cousin, Blake Heathermoor. I told you about her earlier. Blakey, this is Jason," the copper one waved, "and Eli," he responded with a hello, "They wanted to challenge us to a tag battle, each side with 2 pokémon each. You up for it?" She asked, and then whispered to me, "I know you haven't done this since you went home to take care your mom."

"I'm up for it, don't worry Ange. And here I thought you were buying food, not socializing with complete strangers," I chided her gently. "What are the stakes?" I asked towards the two guys, trying not to move Shade.

"Um, winners get breakfast on the losers' expense. At the Pewter Family Restaurant in six or so hours?" Eli asked, making it seem very clear in the terms. I felt Shade shift slightly. I looked back out of the corner of my eye and saw Eli ruffling Shade's fur. "I should have asked before I petted him, I guess. I've never seen a real life Umbreon before and his fur seemed really silky. Sorry. You seem really familiar."

"It's okay, it's surprising he didn't try to bite you. He doesn't like a bunch of people petting him. He tried to bite my older brother when they first met. When do we want to start this battle? I competed in the Johto League Championship eight months ago."

"Here's fine. First side to faint loses. Jason, stop trying to flirt and get over here so we can win. Firefox, you're up!" Was the first battle call out. The Vulpix stood in front of its owner, looking happy.

"Nitestalker, let's play!" Called Jason. The Skitty didn't seem all that interested and started chasing its tail.

"Shade, get in there buddy," I requested, feeling him slide down my shoulder to land in front of me, shaking himself out.

"You too, Pudding." Angela called, the Espeon bouncing slightly. "You guys can start," She yelled over to the guys.

"Alright, Foxy, attack the Espeon with Faint Attack."

"Nitestalker, Thunderbolt!"

"Shade, use Swift."

"Pudding, Psychic on top of the Swift! Then try to dodge the Faint Attack."

Black energy surrounded the Vulpix as it chased after Pudding, waiting for the perfect opportunity. Shade had the stars from his attack aimed towards the Vulpix to help protect Pudding. Due to the Psychic Pudding had, half the stars went towards the Skitty, who was still preparing its Thunderbolt. The Swift and Thunderbolt collided, causing a huge dust cloud to up in the air. We waited for the Pokémon to get out.

It took a while but slowly the dust began to clear and your could see the four Pokémon were a little battered. Shade was shaking out his coat before coming back towards me, as did the rest of the participants.

"Shade, iron tail. Then help protect Pudding." I heard a cry of "Bree" and knew he heard me.

"Pudding, Zen Headbutt, then Heal Bell." The Espeon ran off towards the field. They were met by Foxfire and Nitestalker. Round two had begun.

Shade's tail started turning metallic as he ran towards the Skitty. Pudding was charging towards the Vulpix. The Vulpix used Fire Spin in its most defensive form, causing it to circle around the small Pokémon. I watched shade go after the Skitty, which had a sickly purple liquid beginning to cover its body. I thought about it, remembering that it was a defensive tactic used by poison type Pokémon. Crap!

"Shade, Get away from the Skitty! Use Shadowball instead." I called out to my Umbreon. He started going into his flip that I knew would end in an Iron tail. I looked over to Pudding and the Vulpix.

Pudding was struggling to find an opening in the Fire Spin and then turned to look at Angela. Angela must have had an idea because she started yelling, "Use Psychic to throw the Vulpix."

At that instant, the Vulpix went flying and hit the bench. It got back up, but it was easy to tell it was close to fainting and was beginning to feel hurt. The other three Pokémon were getting tired. Shade was limping slightly and Pudding was moving a little slower.

"Shade, your good, right buddy?" I called to him. I got a nod back. "Alright. Use Shadowball and Swift together on the Skitty."

Angela seemed to understand what I was doing. "Pudding, use Pyschic to hold the Vulpix in place then Zen Headbutt."

When the two attacks hit their targets, yet another cloud of dust went up. Pudding trotted over to Angela and Shade came limping towards me, out of breath, but a happy expression on his face. Eli and Jason went towards the epicenter of the battle to get their fainted Pokémon. I pulled my necklace off and returned Shade to it, feeling bad about it. I could feel the dark pressure, knowing he was unhappy with me.

"I'm sorry Shade. It's for your own good. Forgive me?" I whispered to it before putting the necklace back on.

The Skitty and Vulpix were getting out of the fainting faze and smiled at their trainers, with the Skitty "Nyaa"-ing at Jason and the Vulpix barking at Eli.

"Good battle guys. Maybe we should go to the PokéCenter now." I said, feeling my cheecks heat up.

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><p><strong> AN: DO you like the slightly longer chapter? What's your opinion. Either tell me in a PM or a review. Thanks for reading.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

Angela and I dropped the Eeveelutions off at the PokéCenter, showing our Johto licenses before sitting in the chairs in the corner and started catching up. Apparently Angela spent most of the month battling other trainers to get some quick money during the month we weren't travelling together. Also, she felt really bad about missing my mom's funeral.

Soon I was nodding off to sleep, glancing at clock quickly and noting the time of 3:00pm. Soon I felt a quick pain on my face, but still slept through it. "Lake… Blake… Blake Callarain Heathermoor! Wake up this instant!" All the more reason not to, was all that crossed my mind .Another pain shot through my face. Okay self, who knows my middle name? "Blake wake the hell up,"

"Is your friend alright? I need to talk to her about updating Shade's shots to be eligible for the Indigo League," stated a soft voice. "Also we should update Pudding's. They aren't native to Kanto, it's highly suggested that they would get basic vitamin shots and boosters to get them able to handle the new bacteria and viruses they might encounter. We can continue when she's awake. Do you have any other Pokémon with you?"

"I'm awake," I murmured slowly, blinking at the harsh lighting of the lightly lit room. "What do you mean by highly suggested?" I asked, wondering if I really spoke slow or was just over thinking this.

"Blake you get a gold star by your name. I have a Natu and Psyduck with me. Blake's a loner, just her Umbreon." Angela stated. Sometimes I wonder if my cousin is too sarcastic too often. I sent her a death glare while trying to wake up, resulting in her laughing at me.

"Well without the shots your pokémon won't be recognized by the league and be considered wild. The two eeveelutions you have are considered rare here and many people would want their hands on them. The Pysduck will be fine as this is their region of origin." Nurse Joy replied, still seeming too chipper for 4:30 in the morning.

"How much would it cost for all three Pokémon to get the shots?" Yeah stupid sounding question, but I never was good at math.

"It's about 75 dollars each. $225 should cover it. I know it seems expensive but the boosters are known to help ward off even common diseases. We can do it right away."

"Let's do this. Shade and I'll go first," I dictated quietly, turning to Angela as I was speaking.

"Follow me then. Chansey, can you get three sets for the booster shots and bring them to Exam Room one?" The only response was the squeaking of cart wheels. I followed the Nurse, realizing I didn't have Shade or his pokéball. I started mentally freaking out. What a terrible trainer I am. She seemed to notice my break down and pointed to the door.

I popped my head in, looking for my Umbreon. He occasionally likes to play games with me, making me think I am losing it. I saw him lying on a bed and was greeted by the usual "Bree." Upon greeting me, he stood up, jogged slightly towards me and then vaulted up at my face. I staggered backwards and into the wooden doors feeling the slightly barbed tongue licking me all over my face; the usual greeting from him.

"Hey buddy. You okay?" I was getting licked harder. "I'm forgiven right? I thought it was better that way." He looked straight at me and barked once, as if telling me I was on good terms with him again. It had been awhile since he acted like this so he must have been feeling great. "Okay, but the nice Nurse Joy told me we had to update your shots so you're eligible for the league. After that we can go have breakfast and maybe go for a short jog." He gave me a short unhappy glare, but I knew he would be fine.

"Could you put him on the bed here? Good, keep him relaxed because getting bit is never fun." The Nurse said, petting Shade, slightly pulling on his tail. I was rubbing under his chin and playing with his ears, knowing that if I spent the whole time petting him, he wouldn't. turn and bite the nice Nurse Joy.

When the shots were done, Shade was whimpering at me a little, letting me know he was in a little pain. I scratched his scruff near the injection site, letting him know it was okay. He seemed to sway a little afterwards. Suddenly his front legs buckled and he cried out louder. I looked towards the Nurse, wondering why that happened.

"Don't worry, it's quite common for smaller Pokémon to have muscle fatigue, remember? He'll be fine in a little while." As she was saying this, I picked up the Umbreon and carried him back towards the lobby. I slung him over my shoulder, like I usually did. I checked the clock again and realized we still had an hour till breakfast. I noticed Angela was being led to the Exam Room.

I then realized I had no money in my pockets. I turned to Shade. "Please stay here. I need to find an ATM." Shade looked at me with a comical stare before turning around a few times before laying down. I ran quickly to find one, feeling guilty at leaving him there. I passed the Pokémart and then some more before remembering that there was an ATM at every Pokémart. I grabbed my license out of my pocket and withdrew the money and some extra before scurrying back.

I was out of breath by the time I got back to the PokéCenter. Shade hadn't really moved except his head was drooping slightly. I sat down next to him and played with his ears, enjoying the feel of the silky hairs. I got a small growling noise of happiness and joined him in resting.

The doors squeaked somewhat as Angela stalked over to where I was, attempting to help her Natu stay perched on her shoulder while carrying her Espeon. She wasn't in the best mood. We still had about half an hour until breakfast. I looked down and noted that I was still in sleep pants and tank top combo.

I went over to Nurse Joy at the counter. She was adding up the bill from the shots. I asked to rent a room for the day, making the total climb slightly higher. I paid the $250 before grabbing the key. I returned to Shade, Angela and our backpacks, grabbing Shade and my backpack, slinking over to the side staircase and climbing the stairs.

The door was hard to open but after five or seven tries, I got it open. Angela was standing behind me now and chuckled at me attempting to open the door. I threw my bag towards one of the beds, let Shade wander around the room and took off my shoes. I laid back on the bed for a minute before feeling slightly chilled. I twisted, reaching for my bag and rifling through it, looking for a T-shirt and some pants. I found a grey shirt and some dark jeans before running towards the bathroom to change. I saw how dusty my clothes had gotten during the battle and decided I would do a load of laundry before we went to Pallet Town. By the time I had my clothes on and washed my face there was a tapping on the door, trying to rush me. I walked out and she slipped in.

I walked over to the doors and loudly started talking. "Sorry I took five minutes to change. Hey do you have any clothes you need washed. I plan on doing a load of laundry after breakfast." I told her, sarcasm covering my words a bit. All I got in response was a door slammed in my face, reopened, clothes thrown at me and the door slamming in my face again. "Thanks Ange, I can even hear you smirking in there."

WE were scrambling around the room with fifteen minutes until breakfast. The Pokémon seemed to have recovered from the shots; I even had Shade jogging at my side for a while. He seemed proud of himself for some reason and at one point I was sure he was prancing and showing off. I stopped and looked at Pudding for a second. She seemed more timid, but refused to leave Angela's side. I rushed downstairs, Angela close behind me, and behind her, the two Eeveelutions. I went to ask for directions from Nurse Joy.

I thanked her for the directions and ran back towards the group and then towards the door, which for an automatic, didn't seem to be working as my face met the glass. I heard laughter from behind me and went red right away. Luckily no one else was there and my pride fell of the ladder. Nothing was broken or bleeding on my face so I was content to a point.

The four of us started walking in the direction of the restaurant, discussing things like the fact I could run into an automatic door. That is still better than the time I was crushed by a revolving doors. The Umbreon and Espeon seemed to be having a game of tag and all seemed good for 6:00 in the morning.

**AN: Please tell me how I did, anyway you would like. I want to know what you guys think will happen at breakfast. If I get good ideas from you, Loyal Readers, I will try to add them. I also tried quite hard to get Nurse Joy written well. One of the reasons I hate established characters, doesn't leave a lot of room to experiment with. Also I survived -45 degree weather. Whoo! As always, thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I want to apologize for the delay in updating. Life has been getting a bit harder in time management as winter has been harsher than usual.**

* * *

><p>Angela and I arrived at the restaurant and were greeted by the two guys. Jason and Eli led us to the outdoor patio and found a table waiting for us. There were a few other Pokémon around besides Jason's Skitty and Eli's Vulpix. There was a Gengar playing tricks on the Skitty on one side and a Shuppet and Wartortle with the Vulpix. Angela let out her Natu and Psyduck while I reached down to stroke Shade's fur, finding comfort immediately. Angela and I settled in chairs next to each other and across from the guys.<p>

My cousin was trying to pull a squirming Psyduck onto her lap while contending with her Espeon trying to jump up. Shade and I sat there, watching and smirking at the struggle Angela was having. Both pokémon were on her lap, but neither wanted to share. Pudding was trying to head butt the Psyduck which resulted in the Psyduck attacking back. Einstein turned his claws a dark purple and scratched at the Espeon's face.

"Angela when did Einstein Learn Shadow Claw? And maybe we should break up this scuffle" I asked, reaching over to grab her Espeon.

"I didn't really know he knew Shadow Claw. Thanks for that wonderful advice. Never would have known to break up the fight." Angela replayed, her voice hinting at sarcasm.

"Do you two know of the new theories of chain breeding and breeding moves?" was the first question from Eli. When we shook our heads no he continued, "Chain breeding is the idea that if you breed only for the traits you want, you should breed several generations to slowly perfect the wanted Pokémon. Breeding moves are moves that Pokémon obtain from their parents. So your Psyduck must be special bred."

I sat there in wonder, letting the new ideas float around in my head for awhile, trying to organize it all out, or even simplifying it. I started zoning out, barely noticing the removal of the weight off my lap.

A different voice rang out, "I can't even take you anywhere without you sounding like a walking, talking textbook. I'm sure the girls don't really want to hear about theories. Stop being so smart." Jason's voice sounded out, deeper than Eli's, but also missing the more relaxing tones Eli's had.

Shade jumped onto my lap, making his purring growl of happiness before barking his name at me. I scratched his ears, replying with a 'yeah, I'm hungry too,' to his earlier declaration. I watched the other Pokémon playing, wishing that the rest of my team was with me. The Wartortle was laughing with the Shuppet and Jason's Skitty was chasing its tail.

"So, what do you guys do? Me and Blake are travelling trainers," Angela started. I watched Shade jump up onto the table before walking over to the guys and calling his name at them, as if asking the same. I blushed slightly, knowing this wasn't his normal behavior. Then to make it worse, Shade slinked over to Eli, jumping into his lap.

"Shade, leave Eli alone, come here," I tried reasoning with my Umbreon. He gave me his look he wouldn't listen to me. "Sorry Eli. He normally doesn't act like this. If you want him off, just stand up." I got a head shake from Eli before seeing him scratch behind Shade's ears.

"Well when I was in Hoenn, I worked with an archeology team near a volcano. Then we came to Kanto earlier this spring and did work in Viridian Forest, looking for a lost temple of Mew." Jason replied, looking more at Angela then showing interest in his story.

"I was a musician but the band I was in broke up before we got famous. I also spent time with the archeology team this spring." Eli was still petting Shade. Shade still didn't want to leave him alone.

Breakfast arrived and smelt fantastic. I heard my stomach growl in appreciation of the food. The food ranged from homemade Pokémon food to pancakes, waffles and different breakfast meats. I grabbed a plate of the stack of empty plates and started to fill it up with a little Pokémon food, eggs, fruit and bacon, putting it off to the side for Shade. I grabbed a plate for myself, with most of the same stuff, but no Pokémon food. Shade jumped off Eli's lap and came over for his food. I set his plate next to my chair and let him eat. Everyone else was doing similar so I waited to eat until everyone was done feeding their Pokémon.

I attacked the fruit, enjoying the sweet flavors of the mix. I started to stab some of the eggs when I felt a vibrating in my pants pocket. I excused myself to answer my phone and noticed my brother was calling. "Hey Dust, what's important enough to call me at 6:30 in the morning?" I asked, trying not to let my anger color my tone.

"Ooh, grouchy this morning aren't we? So what crawled down your pants to make you this grouchy?" My brother asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well, I was having breakfast with strangers, which is always fun, I haven't really slept in 36 hours and I'm hungry." I said, as if talking to a four year old. I love my brother and all, but sometimes he calls me at the weirdest and worst times he possibly could.

"Drink some coffee or sleep. Both work for sleep deprivation from what I've heard. So I just wanted to tell you that me and my mentor are moving to a newer and improved facility in the next few days. It's huge and there's the Safari Land nearby. Speaking of which, I have given away all but the last born Mareep. Also, it will suck for you, but you need a new sponsor who would watch over your Pokémon while you travel with others because I no longer can. That was a part of the deal that I agreed to. I want to send the Pokémon over soon, I'm sure they want to see you."

"Give me a minute." I jogged back to the table, whispering the situation over to Angela before giving her Shade's pokéball. Shade flicked his ears back, letting me know he heard my plan. I turned and jogged back towards the Pokémon Center, phone in hand.

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><p><strong>Angela's POV:<strong>

Shade popped his head up as Blake was explaining the situation to me, his ears twitching back and forth as she talked. He went back to eating as she ran off. I resumed eating the slice of toast in my hand.

"Hey, why did Blake leave but keep Shade here? Will she be coming back?" Eli asked. The Shuppet floating behind Eli was shaking with laughter, either at Eli or the Wartortle.

"Either her brother called, asking her to get her Pokémon from him or her stalker from Johto is back and wants to get in her pants. I wasn't really paying attention. Shade's on loan until she returns.

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><p><strong>Blake's POV<strong>

I found a small box nearby, putting the Mareep's pokéball in it before tapping it up. The other five pokéballs were put on her pokéball bracelet. Quickly scrawling Bryce's name on the box and instructions, I reached for my Noctowl's pokéball. I started walking toward my dad's house.

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><p><strong>AN: Thoughts, ideas, constructive criticism? Overall, how was this chapter? Expectations you may have for the next chapter? This one too boring? Any sort of ideas my readers have only help me improve. You can always PM me if you don't want to review. Thanks to RLG for a kick in the butt to update. Until next month – Anything1516<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

BLAKE'S POV

I continued towards my dad's house, listening to the happy cooing of Nox, my Noctowl, as he flew near me. I had to still tie the box to his leg, but I wanted to wait until we got closer. As we encroached upon the house I headed over to the wooded section before shimmying up a tree. Calling my Noctowl over, I started talking to him, "Hey buddy. I need you to carry this box over to the window over there and gently tap the window until the little boy answers. You are to make sure he starts to open the box before leaving and, please, don't attack him. You'll do this for me, right Nox?" I asked, stroking his head feathers.

The bird took off right away, following verbatim what I had just asked him. I watched as the window opened and my bird went inside. My brother immediately opened the box, releasing the Pokémon right away. I smiled, knowing he would like the Mareep. My Noctowl started to hop towards the window only to turn around and stand like a statue. Nox reappeared with something in his beak. He flew around the wooded section several times. "I want to apologize, little brother, please forgive me." And with that, Nox perched right next to me, watching my expressions and singing quietly.

I climbed back down the tree before releasing my Houndour, Rex. I started jogging back towards the restaurant with the dark dog right on my side, panting happily. I got back fairly quickly, retaking my seat. I caught Shade's pokéball before my cousin threw it at my face, adapting to being back in a normal swing of life."Sorry about that. Had something important to do." I told everyone what happened while Rex came over to where I was sitting. Shade greeted him as I started petting him. I threw some bacon onto a plate and let Rex have that plate.

My two pokémon started to play fight beside my chair, wrestling and chasing each other. I grabbed some food for myself, trying to get past the coldness that had settled in the flavor. I could have let all my team out, but I don't think many people would like seeing a giant, poisonous spider watching them as they ate. I ran a conversation through my mind; trying to figure out how to tell my cousin I needed to go south to Pallet Town for several days and how I wanted to go alone.

"Just go Blake; I'll be fine without you. I'm sure the two guys wouldn't mind spending some time to make sure I don't get hurt, right?" She asked, smiling at Jason. There were days I was glad my cousin knew me so well.

"Okay. I should be back early next week. Be careful, okay?" I reply to my cousin, wanting to leave sooner. "Thank you Eli and Jason for breakfast. It was really good." I then called my two dark Pokémon over and headed back to the PokéCenter. I had better food in my backpack anyways.

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><p>ELI'S POV<p>

"There's someone following us Eli!" was the urgent whisper that hissed in my ear. I nodded, acknowledging what I had heard. I'd seen the two following us since breakfast. Angela's Espeon flicked its ears towards us, but they twitched back right away. I started trying to come up with a plan to figure out how to stop the stalkers while not having Angela figure it out.

Unconsciously, I yawned. Perfect, now I have a way to leave. "Hey Angela, Jason's going to hang out with you for a while. I'm heading back to my room at the Center and get some sleep. Jay, be careful, alright? We don't need an angry Blake on our hands."I saw Angela smirk before walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Stop!" I heard yelled from nearby. I looked up and around, trying to figure out who was yelling. There wasn't anyone else around except for two boys standing near an alley. I stopped, turning more towards that direction, brushing my hand over the balls on my belt before taking one off and holding it in my hand.

"Hello, can I help you?" I ask, guessing that these two were the ones who were following us. They had on black jackets with an "R" on them.

"Yeah, the two girls you were with, who are they? Where is the one with the Umbreon?" One of the two asked. The other flexed his muscles like I was to be impressed or intimidated.

"Hmmm. Tell your boss we're on it. He doesn't have to worry." I reply.

"Who are you; because I'm pretty sure we don't take orders from you. Besides, we likely have a similar goal and we don't mind having to share credit with you." The other said.

"I don't share credit with anyone," I hiss, letting them know I didn't like them. "We may have a similar goal, but I'm fairly sure your bosses take orders from me so leave the girls alone if you value your lives." My Wartortle appeared next to me. I nodded at it and a huge beam of water went splashing toward the two idiots.

**AN: Sorry it took so long to write. I've been really busy. I'm learning how to drive, I had two FFA contests the past two weeks and life. Sorry it's shorter than my normal. I'm already working on the next chapter. Reviews are always welcomed. –Anything1516**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**Blake's POV**

I walked quickly out of Pewter City, fairly sure I was heading in the right direction. Next to me, Shade and Rex were happily trotting along, enjoying the nice weather. There wasn't much grass for wild Pokémon to attack me from and I could see everything in front of me. Above me I could hear Pidgey and Pidgeotto chirping and whistling. It seemed everyone was enjoying the warm morning. I soon saw a sign that it was about 30 miles until even thinking about getting close to Vermillion City. Some days I wished I had bought one of the foldable, lightweight bicycles when I was in Johto.

Shade and Rex seemed pretty content to walk in front of me, looking back every once in a while, as if expecting me not to be there. Occasionally they would rush ahead, making me run to keep up. They were soon panting and looking at me like they were starving. Many people don't really know this, but a dark type Pokémon had a great sense of humor and were more likely to act like a goof ball than some other types like the fire or ice types.

I checked my cell phone and saw we'd been walking for about an hour or more. I dropped the backpack and looked through it for a watering dish and a water bottle. The two sat down right away, showing the manners that I spent a lot of time teaching them. I set the bowl in front of them and poured the remaining half of my water bottle into the dish. They barked a thank you before drinking up the water. When they were done, they looked back at me with bright eyes, begging for some food. I went digging through my bag, pulling out a jerky strip and ripping into thirds. I gave one to each of my boys before eating my third.

They turned back towards me. "What, you two? We still have potentially 7 more hours of walking before I want to think about stopping for the night. And if you two are able to hear a stream, I want to go to refill the water bottles. We can have lunch in two hours, alright?" I ask the Dark types. I got an affirmative bark before we continued on.

The two eventually were able to lead me to a stream with really clear water. I pulled my other four pokéballs off the chain before throwing them towards the sky. I was happily greeted and nuzzled by my team, causing me to break out in laughter. I let all of them play for a while as I nestled up against the tree, using my backpack as a pillow. Shade trotted over to me, rubbing himself on my legs before nestling down next to me, flicking his tail on and off my leg. I laid a hand on his back, gently scratching along his back. I could feel vibrations against my leg, letting me know he was happy.

"We could live like this, Shade. Spending most of the time outside with the whole team; never really having to be anywhere, not having people expecting a lot from us. What do you think?" I ask the Umbreon next to me.

He looked at me and let out a quick "Um."

"That's really helpful Shade," I respond to my buddy. I let my team continue to play and relax for another hour before returningmy two Ampharos, Aridos and Noctowl back to their balls. Rex flopped down on the ground in front of me, requesting a belly rub. I could feel heat rolling off his belly fur as I rubbed it.

I looked around, finding the path from the main trail to Vermillion Forest. We entered the forest, occasionally running into other people, trying to stay along the trail. Rex got to have a little fun as some bug catchers kept asking for a battle. He seemed to be getting slightly tired from the battles, but not too bad as compared to the bug catchers; he had much more training and experience as well as an advantage over the bugs.

"It's okay if you take a break from battling Rex; you have to be wearing down from battling so much lately." All I got in return was a quick smirking look and a growl.

We had one more battle before leaving the forest. It was with a young maybe 13 year old trainer. She released a Poliwag and Rex jumped in their before I told him to.

Rex had a Water Gun sprayed a him that he couldn't dodge. It hit him face on, sending him flying backwards. I asked him to use Tackle, but he wasn't listening to me. He ran straight towards the Poliwag, shooting small embers at it. They kept becoming steam as he got closer, with yet another Water Gun sprayed at him. And again he was pushed backwards until a white light enveloped him, which explained why he would listen to me.

When the light was gone, in his place stood a regal looking Houndoom, similar to what I remembered when my dad still lived in Johto with me, mom and my brother. It howled up towards the sky before looking back at me for directions. A small crowd of other travelers were gathering around.

"Alright Rexy, let's use Dark Pulse!" I called out to my Houndoom. He reared up onto his back legs, dark energy surrounding his feet before landing again, causing a wave of purple energy to rush towards the Poliwag. The Poliwag had no way to evade the attack and it fainted as its trainer returned it. I went over there and shook the other trainer's hand, thankful enough to help me evolve Rex.

Our trio soon came across the exit to the forest as the night drew closer. We walked another hour before I decided we would set up a camp site. My two pokémon sat there, watching me attempt to put a tent up for a three sided shelter, barking at my failing attempts.

"If you two have a moment, I would love some help," I told my two Dark types with some sarcasm. She went off to find some twigs and branches, while Rex tried to help me pull the tarp into a spot with little wind. We got that settles around the same time Shade returned. I arranged the wood into a decent pile and Rex started a fire for us. I pulled two blankets out and laid them under the shelter, sliding into my sleeping bag while watching two dark pokémon play a little bit more before laying on the other blanket. We spent a good while just watching the sun set.

**AN:**

**Hey all. Sorry about the late update. I've been rather busy with preparing for my finals that I could take early, practicing driving, FFA obligations, landscaping and other strenuous activities. Feel free to leave comment, reviews or pm me. Have a great day all! –Anything1516**


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